Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; March 5, 2018)

After Aamir Khan tasted repeated success in China with 3 Idiots (2009) , PK (2014), Dangal (2016) and Secret Superstar (2017), his good friend Salman Khan too has struck gold. Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which hit Chinese theatres on March 2, earned approximately Rs 35 crore over the first two days. Interestingly, with the opening day collections reading a whopping Rs 18 crore, the film beat Dangal’s first day earnings of Rs 15 crore — this, despite having lesser shows than that of Dangal. However, Aamir’s Secret Superstar remains the biggest Bollywood opener in China with first day earnings of Rs 43.35 crore.

Amita Naidu, vice president, PR, Eros International, which distributed the Kabir Khan- directed film, says, “The viewers have loved Salman and the little girl [Harshaali Malhotra]. We’ve had instances of the audience dancing to Selfie Le Le Re in theatres.”

While Aamir has built a steady fan base in the neighbouring country, with fans even giving him the moniker of ‘Uncle Aamir’, Bajrangi Bhaijaan marked Salman’s foray in the Chinese market. Analysing the film’s success, trade expert Akshaye Rathi says, “It is because their values are similar to ours. The emotions of the human drama have struck a chord with them.”